A solidly built metal lens for Panasonic, Olympus, and other Micro Four Thirds cameras, this new lens has a superior build quality to it compared to previews Leica DG branded lenses, and features a mechanical aperture ring on the lens barrel. The lens will be available for £1,399 from March 2014.

It is one of the brightest auto-focus lenses available for Micro Four Thirds, with the previous brightest being the Leica DG 25mm f/1.4 lens, and although other brighter lenses are available, such as the Voigtlander 42.5mm f/0.95, this is an entirely manual lens.

Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 Features and Handling

The lens comes with a deep metal hood which is held on with a small screw, as shown above, to avoid any glare or stray light falling on the front of the lens. The side also features AF/MF and OIS switches to quickly switch these on or off.

The lens is the first electronically connected Micro Four Thirds lens to feature an aperture ring on the body, and this also features an A setting to leave the aperture on automatic letting the camera set the aperture.